Project #65750 - 200 words discussion and two 75 words reply

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Andrew Jackson's presidency had some highs and lows. What were two high points? What were two low points? Please be specific. Are there any remnants of these highs and lows today? (200 words and need work cited in MLA style)

Reply (75 words for each)

1.

The greatest high point in Jackson’s presidency is the way that he became president. He was just an ordinary man that endured extraordinary experiences. He was the beacon of democracy. His popularity was gained from his special experiences and he was not chosen to be president based on his geological location or upbringing. When he won his presidency I’m sure that some people believed that they could be president one day not matter what. I think that is great in itself.

Another high point in Jackson’s career was the controversial spoils system. He would give positions in public office to his supporters. These supporters would sometimes not be the best qualified but loyal to the party. This eventually led to corruption and abuse of power, but it did lead to a two-party order. People were more willing to stick with the party not matter how bad it got.

Corruption and abuse of power plagued the Jackson administration. He used political tactics that would not simply slip by in today’s world. First of all he sank the Bank of the United States by taking out all of the funds and putting them in pro-Jackson banks. This was not a decision of one man to make when it concerned all of the states. Secondly he rigged the election of 1836 to his preferred predecessor, President Van Buren. He did this by choosing the nominating convention. Both of these things were very selfish and not what the country wanted but rather what he wanted.

The greatest low point in Jackson’s presidential career was how he dealt with the Native Americans. He forcibly moved them from their homeland to a special territory. Not only were they not accustomed to the weather conditions many died on the way there, known as the “Trail of Tears”. This was done purely out of lust for land. He has a vision of expanding west without the regards of the Native Americans. Many resisted to assimilate of give up their land resulting in war and bloodshed. Eventually the Americans would win their war at the cost of uprooting Native Americans and dead soldiers.

We see the spoils system used today. The President often chooses the people that he wants to sit in public office and also in the judicial branch. The president chooses the justices which are then passed to congress. We have seen how some of the people are not qualified as they should be even today. However, there loyalty to the party ensures that majority of Americans wants or needs are met, through the President’s views on policy.

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He had many ups and downs like any human being would have. However, Mr. Jackson worked hard in his life to advance socially and politically. In addition, some people thought he was the first modern president, expanding his role from an executive to active representative of the people, but his flaws with the Indian removal policies and unwillingness to consider any opinions, but his own, tarnished his reputation.

One of Andrew Jackson’s high points during his presidency was Bank debate of 1832. Jackson vetoed the bill to renew the charter for the nation’s central bank. He believed that, “the bank and those who controlled it had too much power and could ruin the country financially” (Kennedy). Jackson took over the banks and ran them the way that he saw fit. He required the banks to relax their lending standards. In addition, with Jackson taking over bank duties he managed to pay off the national debt in 1835.

Another one of Andrew Jackson’s high points during his presidency was the “Nullifications in South Carolina” (Kennedy). South Carolina declared the right to nullify federal tariff legislation because it hurt the state’s financial interests and threatened to secede in November 1832 following Jackson’s reelection. In December 1832, Jackson introduced a “Force Bill to Congress that would allow him to send federal troops to South Carolina to enforce laws and prevent secession” (Kennedy).

Indeed, Andrew Jackson had his high points in office but he also had low points as well. One of his low points that stands out the most is the “Trail of Tears” (Kennedy). Jackson believed the backbone of the American economy was small family farms. He believed that in order to maintain strong growth as the population increased, new farmland needed to be opened up. The Indian Removal Act, passed in 1830, thus the act was “used to force the removal of Native Americans from the South to the West throughout his presidency, opening fertile land in the South to settlement and causing the Trail of Tears” (Kennedy).

Another low point for Andrew Jackson during his presidency was the “spoils system” (Kennedy). While other called it the spoils system, President Jackson called this the "principle of rotation in office". Some might say this can be a high point also because he got rid of all the corrupted politicians that were in office. Jackson kept a watchful eye on the activities of government officers, eventually replacing about 10 percent of them because of corruption, incompetency, or because they opposed him politically. Jackson appointed people that were only in his party, and those whom were loyal to him. However, the system became corrupt because, “men who had openly bought their posts by campaign contributions were appointed to high office” (Kennedy). Today, the spoils system is still in full effect because the elected President’s still like to remain loyal to their respective parties. They often choose whom will be in office such as the government executives.

Work Cited

Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 13: The Rise of a Mass Democracy." The Brief American Pageant: A History of the Republic. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.